June 27, 2017

Period Corsets had the pleasure of meeting one of our favorite boylesque stars, the incredible Waxie Moon. Waxie, otherwise known as Marc Kenison, paid our studio a visit and enjoyed an impromptu dress-up party.

During his visit, Waxie tried on several styles before deciding on our c. 1860 Julia with front busk. Period Corsets constructed a custom sized in beautiful black satin, made just for him.

Under construction- a custom sized Julia in black satin with added front busk

This corset played a part in his recent performance of "After the Funeral", where Moon depicted a mourning Victorian lady for Seattle's On the Boards NW New Works Festival. Waxie wore a 12-layer black Victorian ensemble, created by the talented Mark Mitchell, that goes from post-funeral mourning to striptease.

Black satin and tears-Waxie wears a full Victorian ensemble for his mournful striptease

Seattle has been blessed with a thriving Burlesque scene. Waxie Moon is one of many Burlesque stars making a name for himself nationally and across the world. A Julliard trained dancer, Waxie Moon is an "international gender-blending queer lady boylesque performance-art stripping sensation" who has performed at various venues in Seattle.

In 2012, filmmaker Wes Hurley made a documentary of the rising star. You can also find him in the hilarious comedy-horror soap opera "Capital Hill". Find Waxie next in "Camptacular" at the Triple Door, June 30-July 3, in Seattle.

A Seattle icon- a large scale mural of Waxie Moon

painted by Anna Lisa-Notter at Pike Place Market near the Seattle Waterfront

June 22, 2017

Summertime means Renaissance Festival fun for Period Corsets. When the weather makes the change to those warm summer nights, we know it's time to prepare for Festival season.

Client Naomi Ellis wears our Renaissance Faire bodice in Cocoa Brown

We love an excuse to dress-up and frolic around with other like-minded costumed friends. So, lace up your corset and grab some grog! Your local Renaissance Festival is the perfect event to don your Renaissance garb.

Period Corsets offers a broad range of choices for your costume needs. Full head-to-toe looks of a laced bodice, chemise and skirt, or simple mix and match pieces that you can pair with something right from your closet.

Our Anna Corset with optional side lacing,
make it your own by pairing with your own pieces

Our overbust and underbust styles can be made in a variety of colors and fabrics. For an inexpensive option, our basic laced front bodice is made in any color of Kona Cottons. For a full look, pair it with one of our Peasant style skirts in a matching or complementary color.

Join the fun and search online to find your local Renaissance Faire or themed festival. It's a family friendly event that has become an annual tradition for people all over. See our many selections for Festival Wear on our Etsy site.

June 16, 2017

How do you win a Tony? Include garments from Period Corsets, of course! Our corsets and petticoats were used in four 2017 Tony Award nominated plays and musicals: "Hello, Dolly!", "The Little Foxes," "A Doll's House - Part 2," and "Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812". Of the four nominated costume designers, two of our clients won for Best Costumes in a Musical and a Play.

The fabulous Bette Midler won "Best Actress in a Musical" for "Hello Dolly!"

Well Helloooo Santo!

Congratulations to designer Santo Loquasto for his win of Best Costume Design of a Musical in "Hello Dolly!".

Period Corsets constructed a dozen of our Late 19th c. Petticoats for the chorus of this fun Broadway revival. We customized our petticoats to their design specifications, adding elastic at the waistband and rearranging the fullness to accommodate kicks and twirls during dance numbers.

His work on "A Doll's House, Part 2" garnered David Zinn a nomination for Best Costume Design of a Play. Period Corsets constructed our c.1890 Theodora corsets with added busks to provide under-costume shaping.

Design sketches by David Zinn for Nora, played by Laurie Metcalf who won for Best Leading Actress in Play

Also nominated for Best Costume Design of a Musical was designer Paloma Young for her work on "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812". For this raucous musical, they used two of our corset styles, the c.1880 Alice and c.1860 Julia with an added busk.

Congratulations to all of the 2017 Tony Award nominees and winners! For Period Corsets, it is always a thrill when our pieces are Broadway-bound! And it's even more exciting when our collaborators take home a nomination or a win!

Welcome to the Period Corsets® Blog

Welcome! Period Corsets® is your complete source for historic undergarments and custom costumes. Opera and theatre companies, universities and colleges, movies and TV productions, and lovers of beautiful historic silhouettes buy our corsets, petticoats, skirt supports, and underwear for their productions and private use. Our products are available through our website in a range of sizes, fabrics, and colors; we also custom-design items to meet your specific needs. We design, develop and make all our garments in our Seattle, Washington studio. On this blog we look forward to sharing with you our passion for fine quality sewing, historic silhouettes, meticulous draping and pattern-making, as well as news about new products we are developing. Stay tuned!Period Corsets Home